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Covid-19’s Highlation of Systemic Racism  

Posted on by gjacobson

America is facing, as some may consider, two pandemics, Covid-19 and Racism. Despite these issues being seemingly unrelated they are indeed related. In the act to fight against the virus people of color are suffering for a variety of reasons. Black people are about five times more likely to be affected by the virus compared to white Americans, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control (Figure1). With people of color comprising many front-line minimum wage workers, along with the social disparities they face in need of medical attention, the risks as a person of color during this time are extremely high.  

Systemic racism has resulted in a chain effect of negative outcomes, including dire need for medical attention in these times of Covid-19. The CDC draws attention to the impact money has on people’s protection against the virus. Factors like, jobs, housing, and income are leading examples of where people of color have been disadvantaged. These communities of color defined as “red zones” are poverty stricken and set up to be unsuccessful with a poor school system, leading to a lessoned chance of students pursuing college, also leading to a lower rate of successful jobs, and more jobs that are considered “essential work” (CDC). These employees of factory, grocery store, and public transportation workers, are all jobs that are essential however cannot be done by the comfort of your home. This chain reaction results in a continuous cycle of low wage jobs, with poor health insurance, where medical needs are not met and at this time, Covid-19 medical care is an essential part in slowing the virus. As these communities are set to be unsuccessful, the rates of cases by these communities are much higher.  

Recent events have made it clear racism continues to be a major problem in America, despite the progress our country has made, systemic racism continues to be a prevalent problem even in our hospitals. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, a professor at Tufts University’s School of Medicine, explains the disadvantage black people face in terms of medical priority. She states, “Racism plays out in the rationing of equipment for people who are testing positive for COVID and even in back room decisions about who is eligible to get tests.” With the overpopulated hospitals during this time, space and equipment are too limited to maintain a proper work environment. Amutah-Onukagha touches on the decision-making process when rationing what patient gets what medical supplies. She reasons that due to the 5 times death rate in people of color, systemic racism has a play in the high amount of deaths. Whether intentionally or subconsciously, it is clear that color is used against individuals, including in life or death situations. Shannon Liss-Riordan, an American Labor Attorney, known as the face for low wage employees’ quotes “…this pandemic is just highlighting disparities”, in context she defines that these inequalities have always been a prevalent issue, however considering the pandemic is has become clear that social injustice is a major issue in America. 

Figure 1. COVID-19 death rates by age and race 

Rates per 100,000 

Source: CDC data from 2/1/20-6/6/20 and 2018 Census Population Estimates for USA 

 

 

Citations:

Ford, T., Reber, S., & Reeves, R. (2020, June 17). Race gaps in COVID-19 deaths are even bigger than they appear. 

Health Equity Considerations and Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups. (n.d.). 

McNeil, T. (2020, July 13). Why People of Color Are Suffering More from COVID-19.  

 

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  1. I agree, COVID-19 is heading light on systemic racism, yet we are witnessing first hand in our generation what is like to watch a whole group in America struggle for years to gain equality. Have we as a country made progress or do you feel as though minorities just have less restrictions in their own areas? Your post connects to my idea that the over population of fast food in minority community is being seen as normal instead of being shut down. Systematical racism of the fast food franchise has left minorities facing obesity, diabetes and heart disease since the 1970s. What other systems set in place are looking to control minorities?

  2. I enjoyed how concise and informative your blog was. It pointed out an often unlooked aspect of racism that lies in medicine. From personal experience, this pandemic has been extremely eye opening to how racism affects everything we know. Recent events, like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s murders, have been a wake up call for many. It has been amazing seeing a new wave of activism develop in a digital world, especially during a pandemic. People are utilizing the platforms social media brings and it’s spreading information and cultivating empathy like never before. Recently on Twitter I saw a Twitter thread by a user by the name @choo_ek. She is a doctor and she detailed her wake up call to racism within medicine. A patient of hers was seriously injured and when she went to talk with his parents and see if they had any questions, they immediately started outlining what an upstanding citizen their son was. They were worried that if they did not put their son in a favorable light it might cost him quality of care, or even his life. No parent should have to think about that, especially when their son is in the hospital. It’s heartbreaking and it’s clear that this pandemic has only further highlighted how biases carry into everything in our lives, including medicine.

  3. Comment:
    I agree with your statement and also understand the fact that blacks and/or minorities are affected at a greater level with this current pandemic. Systematic racism has played a huge role in the resources available to certain individuals and it has provided an unequal advantage for some. What are some ways in which we can systematically bring-forth justice without creating chaos?

  4. I really liked your topic, and how you gave background on the definition of systematic racism and insight on how it impacts people of color. I especially found it interesting how companies contribute to the problem by providing low wages and inadequate health insurance. In your opinion, how could larger corporations change to help support employed people of color? Do you think companies will soon change their ways?

  5. While this pandemic should be affecting every person in the world at the same rate, it is clear that it is not. The pandemic has shown disparities among certain groups of people, such as financial classes, as well as race. These disparities, along with the heightened observation of police brutality in America, has sparked the Black Lives Matter movement around the world. While fighting to gain control over the disease, citizens of the global community have also begun fighting to control the disease of racism. The blog post does an excellent job of showing how the pandemic is highlighting the severe racism, especially in America. The use of statistics, such as the higher rate at which black people are infected, shows that racism runs right through the roots of America.

  6. Racism is common scenario in the countries like United States Of America! We have noticed recent police brutality on the black people and this pandemic this racism is repeated on most of the cities. Though, I am busy at the https://xxxstory.best/de.html website and help people with random video chat facilities across the world! By the way, I hope these terrible pandemic days will be ended soon!

  7. I have had covid and i’m white and i have medicaid( obamacare) and the insurance is terrible no matter what color you are. I got tested for it in a predominantly black area. Also i never had to go to the hospital, usually you recover at home. The fact that it has to be explained that a virus is not racist is really embarrassing. Some bs about oxygen levels come on man, that would have to mean that black people have been getting false oxygen readings since the beginning of the method of testing which is not happening.
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